These days it isn’t rare to see players hit bizarre shots and receive code violations for racket abuse. At times, players do take out their frustration by playing questionable shots even though it leads to them receiving code violations and losing the point on some occasions. One such shot was played by Daniel Altmaier during his clash against compatriot Alexander Zverev in the R64 of the Italian Open.
Zverev took the lead by clinching the first set 7-5. The second set was level at 3-3 when Altmaier blew away three break points during the seventh game. Frustrated with himself, he turned his racket upside down and used its handle to smash the ball straight into the stands. As a result, chair umpire Manuel Messina handed Altmaier a code violation for racket abuse. Even the commentators were left shocked by Altmaier’s shot and remarked that this was the first time that they had seen a player use the grip of the racket to play a shot.
“Is that the first time we’ve seen ball abuse off a grip?’ commentator Naomi Broady asked. Co-commentator Nick Lester agreed with her and replied, “That’s unheard of! This was probably not the most sensible decision he’s ever made.”
Lester further explained that Altmaier was handed the code violation because the shot that he hit ended up in the stands.
“The fact the ball went into the stands, I think meant the decision was somewhat taken out of the umpire’s hands, to a degree, if we’re giving Manuel a bit of an out here. Once that ball enters the stands, that’s the reason he’s given the code violation,” he stated.
New form of ball abuse
A home run strike from the German lands him a code violation #IBI26 pic.twitter.com/rfDUuyuK0x
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 8, 2026
Zverev would hold his serve and clinch the game to take a 4-3 lead in the first set. As the two players changed sides soon after, Altmaier made it clear to Messina that he wasn’t happy with the code violation that he had received. The umpire tried to explain the warning to the World No. 64 and highlighted how he could have hurt somebody in the stands with his shot.
“Daniel, you can hurt somebody. You don’t have to do it. That’s it. That easy. You lose control of the ball, you can hurt somebody,” Messina explained.
However, Altmaier wasn’t buying it and argued that his shot wasn’t powerful enough to hurt someone sitting far away from him.
“You feel good? I’m going to break their head, no? What do you mean, hurt? ‘Hurt somebody’,” he replied back.
Altmaier would lose all his momentum following the game as Zverev went on to win the second set 6-3 and wrapped up the match in an hour and 45 minutes. The World No. 3 has advanced to the R32 where he will be locking horns against Alexander Blockx. Notably, Zverev had defeated Blockx in the semifinals of the Madrid Masters last week and now will be aiming to do the same in Rome.
Coming back, Zverev admitted that he had a tough outing against Altmaier and showered praise on his opponent for giving a valiant effort on the court.
Alexander Zverev lauds Daniel Altmaier for “incredible” performance
“Difficult match. It was a little bit difficult for me physically, I didn’t feel too well. He played incredible, I thought this was the best he maybe ever played, especially against me. He’s quite a defensive player, so you need to be aggressive yourself. You need to control the rallies. I found a way and that’s the most important,” Zverev said during his post-match interview.
Notably, this was Zverev’s fourth win over Altmaier and he has now taken a 4-1 lead in the H2H record. The latter’s only win came in the R32 of the 2024 Acapulco Open where he got the better of his compatriot in three sets.
Zverev comes into the Italian Open after suffering a 1-6, 2-6 defeat to Jannik Sinner in the final of the Madrid Masters. He hasn’t been able to capture a singles title this year so far and has mostly exited tournaments in the later stages.
The World No. 3 has already suffered four defeats against Sinner this season. Three of these losses came in the semifinals of Indian Wells Open, Miami Open and the Monte Carlo Masters, respectively. According to the draw, the two can face each other for a fifth time if they go on to reach the final in Rome.
Will Zverev be able to reach his second singles final of the year, or will he end up facing another disappointing exit in the clay-court season? Let us know your predictions in the comments!
